We traveled back and forth from Montana to Texas for visits every year while we were living in the north, but most of the pictures I found that were taken in Houston were from an earlier period. Many were most likely taken when Dad moving from base to base for various forms of training after he re-enlisted in the Air Force in 1951, and when he was stationed in Newfoundland for an extended period in 1953-54. During these early years of the decade we lived with Momoo and Popoo in Houston, at 2314 Watson Street. There were enough photos set at that location to warrant a separate page for them. The remainder of the Houston photos (including a few that I'm not sure about the location, but Houston is my best guess) are on this page, arranged in more or less chronological order.

Here's one of the earliest photos, unfornately with degraded color, dated March 16, 1953. This note was on the back: "Kathleen ready for the rodeo." This is about the right time of year for the Houston rodeo to be going on, so maybe I was actually going to attend, duded up like this. I remember going through a "cowboy" phase and it looks like it's in full swing here, although in Houston everyone goes cowboy when the rodeo's in town!

Here are three early photos of Joan and me at an amusement park. I don't remember where it was (it's possible it's even Kiddie Park in San Antonio) but since our ages seem to fit with most of the Houston pictures, I'm including them here:

One reason I thought we might have been in San Antonio is that Uncle Horace, Momoo's brother, and his wife, Aunt Mabel, lived there. Here is a family group picture including them. It may have been taken in Houston or San Antonio. Left to right: Popoo, ?, ?, Uncle Harvey, Aunt Mabel, Aunt Muriel, Uncle Horace, Momoo, ?, ?, with Joan and me in front. Another picture that could have been taken in San Antonio, but probably was in Houston, is the one of Joan and I at a zoo.

Here are two other early pictures (sometime in 1953): a wonderful portrait of Mamaw holding Joan and Larry, with Mary Jane and me on either side, on a porch I don't recognize, and a studio portrait of Joan.

Later in 1953 we had this beautiful portrait taken of us sisters:

The following two pictures have helped me flesh out one of my earliest memories—participating in the May fete at our church, Northside Methodist. I have memories of being fitted for my dress (made by Mom and Momoo, of course) and I distinctly recall that I (and my little escort) were the youngest of the couples that formed a graduated line up to the King and Queen of the fete, who were high-school aged. I'm pretty sure this happened in May of 1954, when I was 5.

More early photos. The top two and one on the bottom left look to have been taken on the same outing, with cousins Nancy and Bubbie. Nancy can't identify the location, but she remembers going with Momoo and her parents to a particular spot up in East Texas to get "good dirt" for Momoo's plants (Nancy remembers Momoo never bought potting soil.) Perhaps these were taken when Mom, Joan and I accompanied them on one of these trips? The remaining two pictures, at a picnic and playground, seem to have been taken around the same time.

Here are some more picnic photos, this time with Momoo, Popoo and Mamaw. I wonder if we'd just been to church? I suspect Dad took them, since they're slides. The picnic fare looks tasty, if not particularly healthful!

Another picture, also possibly after church, with Dad in the picture this time (this was dated 1954):

These three shots of me looking pensive were in an envelope labelled "1954" at a later date by Mom:

The following pictures bear development dates of December, 1954. The first four all seem to have been taken during the same excursion to a playground, presumeably somewhere in Houston. The last ones also have the December date, but we look more dressed up; maybe the steps are at the church?

Rounding up these Houston photos is one of me on my first day of kindergarten, taken in front of Momoo and Popoo's house, where we were living, and my official kindergarten school picture, taken sometime in the fall of 1954, when I was attending Travis Elementary School in Houston. I got to miss the second semester of kindergarten as we spent the spring of 1955 in
Valdosta, Georgia, while Dad was on a short assignment prior to his transfer to Great Falls.